Political Chip

Chapter 45: Political Pawn

When the Administrator spoke Allen's name, Amber Xiu could somewhat guess what had happened.

The Lyne Empire was more resolute than he imagined. This was something that could have been resolved with a bit of money, yet they chose the most drastic method.

That Editor-in-Chief James Watson truly didn't care about his son's life or death.

The Orc bartender heard the question. Before answering, his eyes couldn't help but glance in Amber Xiu's direction.

This young Administrator was a very perceptive person. He immediately noticed this, turned to look at Amber Xiu, and said, "It seems you're also involved. Come, have a drink too."

After saying this, the Administrator took out two more Magic Potions and placed them on the bar counter.

The Administrator spoke in a completely commanding tone, leaving no room for negotiation.

In Alchemy City, Administrators represented absolute truth and brooked no argument.

Headless Bro chuckled and said to Amber Xiu, "Brother Diga, need a hand?"

The Administrator heard Headless Bro's words and sneered, "Trying to resist arrest? That saves me trouble. I'll just lock you both up, and I won't have to interrogate you. I can go back to my experiments."

With just a sentence, he declared it an arrest, giving no one a chance to explain. He directly controlled the Magic Puppets behind him and walked towards Headless Bro and Amber Xiu.

The giant robots spewed steam, their steps shaking the ground as they advanced. One reached out and grabbed towards Headless Bro.

These Magic Puppets were powerful, capable of crushing even rocks into powder.

The patrons of the bar all kept their distance, fearing they might be implicated.

The Administrator was quite pleased with their reaction. In Alchemy City, the words of Alchemists like them were law. To live in this place, one had to obey their commands unconditionally.

Ordinary people who lacked even the most basic common sense in Alchemy were merely parasites in this city. Just as the Lyne Empire discriminated against all heretics, Alchemy City also discriminated against these "lower-class citizens" who came to seek a living.

In the Administrator's eyes, Headless Bro was just a scruffy, down-on-his-luck adventurer. Daring to speak disrespectfully naturally meant being thrown into jail.

However, the outcome was completely beyond his expectations.

The Magic Puppet extended its steel fist, gripping Headless Bro's shoulder to pull him down. But it was like facing a towering mountain. The mechanical core emitted an overload roar, yet Headless Bro remained completely still.

Headless Bro said disdainfully, "Is that all? Even a massage would require more strength."

The Administrator's eyes widened. He hadn't seen Headless Bro use any magic, but this Magic Puppet's strength was enough to twist steel. How could it possibly not even be able to move one person?

Amber Xiu sighed. He hadn't wanted to escalate things, but since they had already laid hands on his guest, there was absolutely no room for compromise. Otherwise, how could he maintain his standing in the Mourning Poetry Society?

Two bolts of lightning shot from Amber Xiu's hands, making the two Magic Puppets tremble and emit large plumes of black smoke.

The young Administrator was startled to see two Magic Puppets instantly disabled.

These were premium products of Alchemy City, possessing excellent magic resistance. How could they be casually turned into scrap metal by mere electricity?

"You actually dare to resist?! You are openly violating the laws of Alchemy City. Stop your illegal actions now, and I can consider leniency. Otherwise, you will face severe punishment. Do you intend to make an enemy of all of Alchemy City?!"

At this moment, only the powerful Alchemy City could offer him some comfort. He hoped to use its name to intimidate the two.

But Amber Xiu calmly took out a badge and placed it in front of the Administrator.

"This... this is..." The Administrator's eyes widened, and then he knelt before Amber Xiu in fear, stammering, "I am extremely sorry. I was reckless and offended Your Excellency. Please forgive me."

Headless Bro exclaimed in surprise, "Yo, little brother, you're some kind of official in Alchemy City?"

Amber Xiu shook his head. "No, this is the Distinguished Scholar Badge. I contributed a few Magic Potion formulas to Alchemy City, so this is an honorary title."

Headless Bro asked curiously, "Not an official with real power, then why is he so scared?"

"In Alchemy City, knowledge is above race, faith, and law. Except for the Alchemist Council, no one has the right to put a Distinguished Scholar on trial. And I only need a letter to prevent him from joining any Alchemist Laboratory, directly ruining his career. It's a pity this badge is merely symbolic and hard to cash in."

After hearing Amber Xiu's explanation, Headless Bro couldn't help but say, "That's even more twisted than the values of those religious fanatics in Lyne."

Amber Xiu strongly agreed. Religious discrimination and occupational discrimination were equally twisted.

The female Orc boss, who had been standing nervously to the side, excitedly walked up to Headless Bro, saying with concern, "Gareth, is your hand alright?"

Amber Xiu watched the female Orc fussing over Headless Bro's arm, unsure if she was genuinely worried or just taking the opportunity to touch him.

Amber Xiu ignored the melodrama unfolding here. He picked up the Lie Detector Potion and said to the Administrator, "Drink this. I have some questions for you."

"This..."

The Administrator looked at the potion bottle with a hesitant expression.

"You should know very well that if I kill you now, I can be absolved by writing two papers for Alchemy City," Amber Xiu said.

This statement was slightly exaggerated. At the very least, the papers would have to be publishable in Legendary Spells to compensate for the crime of killing an Administrator. Amber Xiu would certainly not do this unless absolutely necessary. The data required for such papers came from experiments and was costly. Giving them to Alchemy City for free would be a massive loss.

But this Administrator didn't know that. He only knew that what Amber Xiu said was true: the papers of a Distinguished Scholar were indeed far more valuable than the life of an Administrator.

Powerless to resist, he could only drink the Lie Detector Potion. The bitter taste made his entire face contort.

Amber Xiu confirmed the potion had taken effect before asking him, "What official document did the Lyne Empire issue that required an Administrator to investigate the whereabouts of that Paladin?"

"I don't know much. I heard that this Paladin named Allen Watson is the son of the Lyne Empire's Supreme Adjudicator. That's why the Lyne Empire not only sent a diplomatic document in advance asking for our assistance in investigating Allen Watson's disappearance but also dispatched an envoy who is currently en route to Alchemy City. Their objective is very clear: they must find this Allen Watson, dead or alive."

"An envoy? Is the Supreme Adjudicator himself coming?" Amber Xiu pressed.

"No, that's not the case, but the envoy's status is very high. They are from the Order of the Guilty Knights, which is subordinate to the Judicial Council, second only to the Imperial Guard of the Lyne Emperor. Therefore, several council members are taking this very seriously and have dispatched numerous Administrators to search everywhere. I am just one of them."

"The Order of the Guilty Knights? Gareth, have you heard of them?" Amber Xiu asked Headless Bro.

Headless Bro, who was enjoying a massage from a female Orc, shook his head upon hearing Amber Xiu's question. "I haven't heard of them either. Back in the day... cough cough, anyway, the only ones I know are the Imperial Guards of the Lyne Empire."

"Alright," Amber Xiu turned his head and said to the Administrator, "You don't need to investigate anymore. Tell the council that Allen Watson is in my hands. If they want to talk, have the council send someone to find me."

Amber Xiu wasn't planning on hiding anything. He had scammed Allen Watson out of five thousand Gold Coins, and this Paladin had participated in the previous battle as a mercenary. None of this could be hidden, so he decided to negotiate directly with Alchemy City.

James Watson, that old geezer, was dead set on not paying any money, but perhaps he could sell Allen Watson to Alchemy City and recover some of his losses.

The biological son of the Lyne Empire's Supreme Adjudicator was just an ordinary captive to Amber Xiu, but to Alchemy City, he might be a valuable political pawn.